Guidance of the Lost
by TheAtomicWanderer
Summary: Time has been lost to Gob since he has been spending his last several years of his life as a slave until one day a strange Courier saves him from his latest captors and offers to find him a home. Who is this Courier and what are her motives? Can he trust her? (After the events of Fallout New Vegas. NCR Ending. A semi sequel to 'Diary of Courier Six')
1. Chapter 1

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 1**

Bodies danced and stepped in the dusty distance. Seemingly dragging something behind them. It didn't look normal. Then again nothing really looked normal in the wasteland. Jenny adjusted her scope to hopefully get a better look at what this group of people were dragging behind them. Raiders of some sort. Or perhaps Mercs. It wasn't easy to tell at this distance. But they were dragging what looked to be a body. This was one of those few moments Jenny wished she had practiced her sniper skills. She was more of a melee fighter. Give her a good axe and she could slaughter a whole group of people with no issue, now shove a sniper rifle in front of her and she couldn't even take down a radroach. Taking in a deep breath of her cigarette. The woman stubbed out the butt and chucked it aside. Standing up, she grabbed her sniper rifle and tossed it over her shoulder an with another heave she pulled out her trusty proton axe and started running right towards the raiders, or mercs or whatever the hell they were. Jenny didn't care at this point. She had been through hell and back. Shot in the head, had her brain removed, sided with the NCR and fought at the second battle of Hoover dam and officially casted the Legion out of the Mojave. Now the woman was spending her "retirement years" picking off stragglers in Colorado. She still took the odd job as a Courier for old time sake but she wanted to be done with the politics. Ulysses taught her a hard lesson when it came to getting involved. So she kept a low profile these days.

Ducking down low to the ground the woman had snuck up as close as she could to the group of mercs as she could before they caught sight of her. Wearing black was always a dumb decision in the middle of the desert but Colorado got cold and black was a easy way to feel warm. Dumping her rifle off of her back. Jenny snuck up behind one of the mercs and swung her axe. The energy blade slicing right through his skull like butter. The smell of singed hair was never appealing and still to this day she never got used to it. That was when she was knocked down to the ground. Her axe kicked away from her hands. One of the mercs punched her squarely acrossed the nose causing a sickening crack.

She saw red.

Taking the punch, Jenny felt the blood pooling up in her sinuses and pouring down her nose. Standing up slowly she sneered a little and jumped the merc who punched her. Slipping a knife from her boot, she buried it over and over into the side of his neck, causing him to quickly bleed out. Standing up from his body the woman turned herself around to find one woman holding a pistol cursing a bunch of expletives at her.

Ugly words.

What a waste of breath.

Gritting her teeth, Jenny took her knife and tossed it right at the woman's head. The sharp knife buried itself deep into her cheek causing the woman to fall to the ground. Walking over to her form. Jenny kneeled down and pulled her knife out of the woman's mouth. Her own blood dripping off of her face. The woman gave a big grin to the merc.

"Really!? Point a gun at me!?" Jenny laughed. She was losing her mind.

The woman reached up and wrapped her hands around the woman's throat and squeezed tightly on her windpipe. She could feel the blood struggling to pump through her veins. The merc woman began struggling under her tight grip.

"The last man I choked out had a slower death then you" Jenny snipped. "Consider yourself lucky".

The merc stopped struggling as her life faded away. Jenny took a deep breath in and reached up to her nose. Her fingers wrapped around the broken bridge and with a swift crack the woman reset her nose back into the right position. A small whimper escaped from her lips. Hopefully it would stop hurting so much now that she no longer needed to mess with it. But it will certainly swell. Spitting some of the blood out from her mouth, movement caught the old courier's eye. She finally turned all of her focus on the very being that was struggling on the ground. Stepping over to his side, the poor fool had managed to get his legs free from the ropes so he stood up and began backing away from her. His arms still tied tightly behind his back.

It was like the woman's whole demeanor softened. The killer look in her eye had almost immediately disappeared. Holding up her hands she tipped her head a bit.

"Easy there cowboy. I'm not here to hurt you. I saw them dragging you around like a damn cart from back there. I don't really believe in slavery so I came to set you free. Are you ok?" Jenny asked. Her voice had grown gentle.

"Why do you care? I'm just a ghoul." His voice trembled.

"Look. I don't care if you are a ghoul or a super mutant or even a damn intelligent deathclaw. I am not here to hurt you and frankly I can't stand to see others mistreating the innocent." Jenny frowned a bit.

"Can I at least untie your arms?" Jenny asked

The Ghoul stood there looking a bit confused and conflicted at the same time. She could easily slit his throat if he gave her the chance to. But seeing how quickly she took down the group of mercs. She would have no trouble taking him down regardless. Even if he did run.

"Yea… yeah I guess.. So.." the ghoul nearly whispered.

Jenny nodded. Keeping her arms up she walked over to his side and reached over, her fingers worked over the tight knots letting them loosen and drop from his hands. She slowly backed away from his side keeping her own hands up.

"The name is Jennifer. I work for the Mojave Express as a Courier. Well from time to time. You can call me Jenny if you'd like." Jenny gave a brief smile hoping to break some of the tension.

"The Mojave?" The ghoul looked down at his hands, rubbing his raw wrists. He was visibly confused over this news.

"Yeah, well actually you are in Colorado right now. Where are you from?" Jenny pried a bit, a frown sinking down on her face.

"The east coast." He whispered.

"Fuck, you are far from home." Jenny's frown sharpened.

The ghoul just stood there rubbing his sore wrists so Jenny took that small opportunity to go and grab her Proton axe. Stepping away she walked over to her trusty weapon and picked it up, pulling the strap over her shoulder and allowing the weapon to sit comfortably acrossed her back. Turning her form back over to him, she took a step back in front of him. Hoping to not look anymore intimidating to the poor ghoul. Her frown slowly returned back to her face.

"Do you have family?" She inquired.

"No."

"A name?" The woman sighed.

"Gob." The ghoul looked up at the woman. His eyes showing how tired her really looked.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Gob. If you need I can take you back home. It's not like I really have anything else to do. Or at the very least you can travel with me for awhile until your able to get back on your feet and settle somewhere. I know of some places in the NCR which would be safe for a Ghoul." The woman offered.

Gob didn't say a word. Reaching up the ghoul had brushed some of his patchy brown hair out of his face before looking at the woman and giving her a small nod.

#

The night was quiet. Gob ended up spending his time in the far corner of the woman's makeshift tent. Jenny was outside spending her spare time writing in her journal. Chewing at his bottom lip, Gob slowly made his way out of her tent and sat acrossed from the woman. She hadn't bothered to start up a fire yet. Maybe she was far to in her head to realize it was growing cold out. Her watched her put down her journal and pack it away in her travel bag. That's when her eyes met up with his, a gentle smile growing acrossed her sunburned cheeks.

"Hungry?" She broke the silence.  
Gob was always hungry. For a good portion of his ghoul spent years he had been hungry. Always being starved by his "employers" or a more proper word was owners. Yet here was this woman who came from the middle of the desert, not only saved him, offered to travel with him until he felt like he could settle down again but she was now offering him food. Gob had not known this level of kindness since the small amount of time he had spent with the Lone Wanderer so many years back.

"I…..I wouldn't mind.. Having something to eat.." Gob whispered hoping she wasn't making this into a joke.

Jenny didn't respond. Instead she rose to her feet and stepped out from her camp. Gob heard some rustling around behind the tent until the woman made a "awww" sound and then made a return. She was holding a few skewers of what looked to be cooked mole rat meat. Sinking back down to her spot, she held out the 4 skewers of meat for Gob to take. No words were spoken but there seemed to be a silent conversation going on between the two. Gob slowly reached up and took the skewers out of the woman's hand and ended up giving her a slight thankful nod. Jenny only smiled in return.

Leaning back onto the palm of her hands, Jenny released a very soft sigh, her eyes closing. A small haze and settled in her mind so it was time to try and relax to clear it. She had battled this ongoing haze problem for years at this point. Having her brain removed in the Big MT didn't do any favors to this issue. The woman wasn't able to remember half of that time still to do this day but she at least eventually got her answers. Her last companion Raul had helped her through the worst of it. Oh how she missed Raul.

"Look I know we are still strangers at this point Gob. So why don't you sleep in the tent tonight. I'll sleep out here for the night. So that way I can hear anything sneaking up on us." Jenny broke the silence.

Gob looked up at her, his eyes filled with a bit of nervousness. He nodded a bit as he continued to eat his mole rat meat skewer.

It was good to see someone so famished looking eating Jenny thought to herself. The woman stood up and stretched out her arms, rolling her shoulders a bit. Looking down at the ghoul she gave him a brief smile.

"Goodnight Gob"

"Goodnight Jenny."

**Authors Note:**

**Hey everyone. So it's been awhile since I last wrote anything. I might be a tad rusty. My last computer died so I ended up losing everything as well as all of the programs I wrote on. But I have everything fixed now. So I am back to writing. So I just wanted to say I guess this story is a bit of a sequel to 'The Diary of Courier Six'. Naturally I abandoned that fic before it got too far along. I tend to write a bit better when I have more creative freedom. I honestly didn't know where I wanted to take it. So let's just write a sequel to the unfinished fic instead. I've been wanting to write a fanfic involving Gob for a long while now but just couldn't come up with something original in lines of Fallout 3 that really wasn't done before. So let's just go ahead and get this poor ghoul mixed up in my Courier's shenanigans after the events of New Vegas. I won't go too much into detail here as the story will bring all of this up. So if you want to get to familiarize yourself with Jenny I would suggest reading 'Diary of Courier Six'. I go into great detail some about her "brain haze" moments. But I will be sure to write some of that into this story as well for those who don't read it. Thank you all for the support. Happy Reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 2**

Gob could remember the days where he felt like he could take on the world. How adventurous he was feeling when he had left Underworld behind. That excitement and drive didn't last long as slavers captured him only a week after he left his home behind. He had already ran out of food and couldn't shoot a damn gun to save his life. Why he even bothered owning one at this point was a waste of caps only for it to be used against him. He had spent the next few countless years as a slave only for him to be sold off as Moriarty's punching bag for many more years to come. Everyone he had run into belittled him just for being a Ghoul. Yet he would much rather take the awful words from a drunk idiot then to be slapped around by Moriarty. Even if he had been the shining example of pure perfection. Gob was sure that Moriarty would still find a flaw and hit him for it. Gob had woken up early that morning. It was sure nice to wake to a full belly and nobody dragging or slapping you around or burning up under the hot desert sun. Sure he was far away from the only thing he ever knew. But at least for right now he seemed to be safe. Gob wasn't too sure about Jenny. She was impossible to read. One minute she was tearing mercenaries apart and the next she was the living definition of humanities best. He had hoped her offer of finding him a safe place to live was the truth. The Ghoul was frankly tired of being uprooted from everything he had grown comfortable with. This NCR seemed promising.

Gob slowly crawled out of the makeshift tent. His eyes focused on the small curled up frame of the odd Courier sleeping away. She was clearly tired enough to be able to sleep through all of the noise he had been making while shuffling out of that tent. Stepping past her softly. He walked out from the camp and gazed off into the distance, his eyes immediately squinting under the hot desert sun. Looking back over his shoulder. A small glint peeked out from Jenny's travel pack. It was a dark colored looking revolver with a long barrel. Gob took a step closer to her bag and kneeled down to get a closer look at the strange looking gun. Reaching out, the Ghoul thumbed the edge of her back open to get a better look at the unique revolver when suddenly her hand slapped him acrossed the wrist and gently pushed his hand away from her bag. The Courier was leaning a bit up, her eyes looking a little more stern.

"I need you to not do that." Her voice was tight.

Gob immediately took a step back and covered his head with his arms. "Don't hit me!" he cried out.

Jenny leaned up frowning a bit more. Giving the Ghoul a bit of a side eye she slowly pulled herself up to her feet and took a step towards him. Reaching out she put a supportive hand on his shoulder, feeling he was trembling.

"Gob… I don't know what you've been through but that would be the last thing I would ever do." Jenny's voice was still tight and stern but there was a hint of care hidden under all of the gruffness.

Gob looked dropped his hands away from his face and head and looked over at the woman, her eyes looked a bit saddened. He was almost too scared to talk though. His vocal chords locking up in fear.

Jenny dropped her hand and sighed. Giving herself a nod she turned herself around and leaned down to her travel bag and unbuttoned it. Reaching in she pulled out the interesting looking revolver. Standing back up, the woman checked to see if the gun was not loaded then ended up reaching out to hand the revolver to Gob.

The Ghoul was standing in complete confusion. One minute she didn't want him even looking at her gun and now she was there holding the very gun to him. Yet taking the hint. Gob reached out and gently took the revolver from the woman's hands. He held it carefully and inspected all of the beautiful engravings that adorned it. This wasn't just a gun, it was a work of art.

"That's the Ranger Sequoia. It was gifted to me just before the second battle of the Hoover dam. Not sure if you know about any of this but I will certainly catch you up to speed on everything." Jenny's voice grew soft once more.

"It's beautiful." Gob nearly whispered.

"That it is. You should see the gun that killed me." Jenny laughed as she gently took the Sequoia back from his hands.

"You died?" Gob suddenly frowned. Looking a bit shocked.

"Yeah… well that's a story for another day." The woman tipped her head then kneeled back down to her pack to put the gun away once more.

"I'll teach you how to shoot a gun soon. But right now we need to get moving. I'm sure if your Merc buddies had any friends they will be looking for us soon." Jenny sighed.

"Good idea." Gob murmured.

The Courier gave a slight chuckle then took a brief step into the tent, grabbing a fresh pack of cigarettes from inside. Standing back out into the camp, she opened the pack and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between her lips. Looking up at Gob, she held out the pack offering the Ghoul to take one.

"I appreciate the offer but I don't smoke" Gob shook his head.

"Good on you. Bad habit to get into." Jenny chuckled and placed the pack into one of her pouches on her belt. Lighting up the cigarette the woman took a long drag and closed her eyes, smoke slowly escaping from her broken nose. Holding the cigarette between her lips, the woman opened her eyes once more and turned to start packing, making time for the little moments like enjoying her cigarette. This was something the Ghoul had taken immediate note of.

Gob didn't have anything on him to pack so he made due haste to start rolling up the sleeping bags and the cloth that had covered the sticks and plants she used as shelter. Handing them off to her. The Courier gave him a brief smile with that cigarette still hanging from her lips as she turned to stuff them inside of her bags.

It didn't take them long to get packed up and moving along. This woman was efficient with her time. A good thing Moriarty didn't know her. He would take advantage of her work ethic. But then again quickly learning how tough this woman was she probably wouldn't of let the old crazy man push her around for very long. She would of found a way to either kill him or escape. Gob learned of this quick. She was a courier after all.

#

The pair kept traveling for what had seemed hours until they had made their way into the foothills. The woman seemed to be familiar with these parts but she could also be doing nothing but guesswork to only get away from the merc hunters or whatever else she was possibly running from. Gob didn't know her past. She seemed the type to not want to settle down though. Maybe she also never found her home either. Did she even have a home? A family? Friends? Anyone to care about? Gob began to wonder. One really didn't have time to settle down when you worked as a courier after all. Did it pay well? Was it even worth it? Too many questions began to fill his mind so he had set himself to focus only on the trail ahead. Not even paying attention to what the woman was doing but only on the fact of her staying ahead of him as they kept moving. He knew that as long as she was around they would be ok. Well he had hoped as much. At least his nerves weren't screaming at him so much about her since she didn't blow up at him or even hit him after he had been caught snooping at her gun. Just another check on the ever growing list about her kindness towards him.

Gob wasn't paying attention, deep in this thoughts when he nearly walked right into Jenny's shoulder. The woman took a step back and eyed the Ghoul suspiciously for a second before bursting into a bit of a small smile.

"You alright there?" she laughed.

"Sorry! I just wasn't thinking. I apologize." Gob nearly stammered.

"It's ok. Just making sure." Jenny turned herself and ended up pointing down towards a small lake. "You see that down there. That's where we will camp for the night. I don't want to push too hard or too far. We have a lot to get through and if we just take our time we will get through this alright. The path west in not exactly the easiest to get through." Jenny tipped her head.

The woman pulled herself away from the trail and made her way down the hill towards the small lake. Once she got close enough she set her travel bags down next to a tree and immediately sank down to the ground, sitting under a nice shady tree. Holding up her arm, the woman was checking her maps to make sure they were heading in the right direction. That was when Gob and finally noticed the pipboy on her arm.

"You are a vault dweller too?" Gob asked a bit shocked. The ghoul walked over by her side and sat down next to her. It was a sign that he was already beginning to grow comfortable around her company.

"Me? No heavens no. I grew up in the wastes." Jenny looked over at Gob noting how much more calm he looked then before.

Gob frowned a bit. Not knowing exactly what to ask next.

"If you really want to know where I got this. The doctor who saved my life gave it to me. He used to be a vault dweller before him and his family and friends were practically kicked out of their vault. Kind man." Jenny smiled warmly. "One day I will tell you more about what happened to me but that will be for later on."

Gob knew not to press. If it was anything he learned. He learned that the moment you start asking more questions than you were allowed that would end in getting beat into a pulp. He didn't want to get beat.

"Besides how do you know what a pipboy is. It's not like everyone has one." Jenny chuckled.

"An old friend of mine had one." Gob looked down at the ground.

"Had? Oh… oh.. I'm sorry Gob." Jenny sighed. Reaching up she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder once more. The Ghoul flinched a little but ended up accepting her support. Not trembling this time. "I won't press for details about your past Gob. When you feel comfortable to talk to me. You come to me ok?" Jenny offered, lowering her hand.

Gob gazed up to her and finally cracked a small smile. "Thank you."

Jenny gave him a brief nod then turned herself to look out towards the lake, sighing happily. The cool air had began to settle a bit in the afternoon. It was so quiet one could probably hear a Super Mutant tip toeing around from several miles away. The woman leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes again enjoying the moment once more. Memories flooded back to her of her childhood. Granted she did end up growing up in the NCR. Her family and her would take trips into the foothills during the summers to get a break from the awful deadly heat. The brahmin appreciated it and would produce more yield during the summer months. Jenny's parents were chem dealers on the side. So owning brahmin had its benefits in producing Jet.

"Do you have a home?" Gob broke the silence.

"Yes…. no.. sorta.." Jenny looked up, her hues glancing at Gob for a moment before looking back out onto the lake. "I never officially settled down anywhere. I own a hotel room back in Novac near New Vegas and I also own the whole plot of the Big MT which was an old science facility. But I never really officially have somewhere I go to settle down. It's not in my blood I guess. I find somewhere I think I can call home but I just get the urge to keep wandering the wastes. Never really fell in love either. I had a few flings but nothing serious." Jenny chuckled. "Nobody wanted to keep wandering the wastes with me…. Well except one individual but he wanted to stay in the Divide after that incident." The woman's face looked a little sad.

"The Divide? Who lives there?" Gob inquired

"An old friend. We go way back but that's a story for another day."

"You seem to have a lot of those." The Ghoul remarked.

"That I do… that I do.." Jenny laughed.

"I… I'm sorry if I keep asking too many questions." Gob started stammering.

Jenny figured he must've gotten into his own head again. Right just when he was beginning to relax around her. She gave him a gentle smile. "You are fine. Don't worry. If something bothers me I'll let it be known. Ok?"

"Ok." Gob nodded.

"You getting hungry?" Jenny asked out of the blue.

"A bit.." Gob's voice was soft once more.

Without answering Gob or giving him any context. Jenny pulled herself up to her feet and started pulling her pouches off, followed by her boots and her shawl. Last the woman suddenly pulled down her pants and chucked them in a pile with the rest of her clothes. The ghoul almost looked shocked that she had just started stripping, but before he could ask what she was doing. Jenny pulled the knife from her boot and ran to the shore of the lake, jumping in and disappearing under the water.

Gob immediately jumped to his feet and ran over to the shore of the lake, shielding his eyes so he could possibly see the woman better under the water. The Ghoul's nerves had hit him like a freight train. Looking around to keep an eye out for anything that might attack him, he balled his fists up and shook himself a bit to hopefully release the tension. The moment when Gob had stopped paying attention to the lake. Jenny had tossed up a dead Lake Lurk on the embankment. Gasping for air as she surfaced. Gob flew around and nearly jumped out of what skin he had left seeing the dead creature on the beach making Jenny chuckle a bit. She pulled herself out of the lake and immediately laid down on the shore of the small lake. Breathing hard.

"Fucker put up a good fight. But here is dinner!" She chuckled.

"You… you just killed that?!" Gob gasped.

"Yeah.. I did." She sat up. "Hey do you know how to start a fire. I am going to need to dry some of my clothes out and roast up this thing."

"One of the few skills I have besides being a punching bag." Gob offered a joke.

Jenny frowned a bit then gave a disappointed chuckle. Standing up to her feet, the woman dragged over the corpse of the dead lurk and moved to her pack.

"Don't look. I got to strip all the way down. Well I don't honestly give a shit if you look. But I don't know how you feel about such things so just.. Yeah look the other way until I can change." Jenny snickered.

Gob felt his cheeks grow hot. Turning the opposite way and looking down at the ground as he began to set up the fire pit. The Ghoul was certainly not used to anyone being so bold around him and not caring. The only other person who had came close to being 'bold' was Nova but she was forced to do that. Yet here Jenny was not a care in the world. Gob didn't waste any time putting the fire together, keeping his eyes shielded from Jenny's direction until she gave the all clear.

The woman walked over to his side and sat down next to the fire, she was holding chunks of lake lurk flesh on skewers to cook up. "You ever had lake lurk?" She inquired.

"Mirelurk but not Lake Lurk." Gob looked a bit confused.

"It tastes pretty much the same, just less fishy and salty." Jenny gave him a small smile. Handing one of the cooked skewers.

"Thank you." Gob nodded.

"No problem. I was getting a bit hungry myself anyway." Jenny took a bite of her own skewer. "Besides we got to keep you fed. You look like you could use it. No offense." The woman tipped her head a bit hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"I.. understand.." Gob started stammering… "My…. my…. My"

"You don't need to force it Gob. Tell me when you are ready." Jenny patted his shoulder and gave him another gentle smile like she always did.

**Authors Note:**

**I am absolutely loving the dynamic between Jenny and Gob. In my last story Jenny was so unsure of what was happening to herself with the brain fog and all so it's a bit refreshing to me to see her in this light. Gob will certainly come around. I think the poor guy just needs to relax first. Thank you for all the love so far. Happy Reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 3**

Gob woke up that morning with a bit of a jolt. Everything was so calm and peaceful. Yet another morning where he wasn't waking up from hunger pangs or punches to the gut. The poor Ghoul was always used to waking with someone yelling for him or at him. He was used to hearing the wind blow or the fan above the door in the bar constantly rattling but this silence could easily drive him mad with his own thoughts. Shuffling up to his feet. He reached over to his boots and slipped his feet inside of them, tying them up. Gob couldn't remember the last time he hadn't slept without shoes. Exiting from the tent, the Ghoul looked around until his hues caught a glimpse of Jenny a bit of a ways from the camp. She was sitting on top of a rather decently sized boulder writing in that journal of hers a cigarette hanging from her lips once more. One thing that Gob had immediately noticed about her was that she wasn't armed. She did have her knife which slipped into her boot but the woman never carried guns on her all of the time and her primary weapon was an axe of all things. She was rather comfortable with herself. Or rather confident in her own capabilities. She never seemed to lack it. Making his way over to the woman's side. She looked up from her journal and gave Gob a brief smile.

"Good morning sleepy. You sleep well?" Her tone was warm

Gob couldn't get over how kind this woman was. It seemed like with ever interaction they had. She was always gentle and kind. It was completely alien to him. This concept of kindness. Yet he was allowing himself to finally relax around her presence. She hadn't given him any reason to not trust her yet. She had been constantly providing him with meals and protection. She saved his life after all. Gob would admit he has had some kind owners many years ago but never to this degree of kindness. He would still have to work his fingers to the bone just to be able to get his meal for the week but at least they wouldn't hit him or constantly insult him. Though he was always starved.

"I did sleep well. It's a little too quiet here though. Not something I am used to." Gob gave a deep sigh.

"I can understand that." Jenny closed her journal and put it down next to her side. Looking down at Gob she could see that he was becoming more and more relaxed the further time he spent away from the barren desert floor. Granted it was quiet you could hear anything sneaking up to you in this place. Most of the lake lurks didn't even bother surfacing in this area either. Not much food around to scavenge. Jenny believed she sent a good message to the others to stay away from her last fight as well. She slowly stood up and scaled down the side of the boulder she was occupying. Holding the journal tight in her hands she gazed down at it and sighed knowing all of her thoughts and memories were held deep inside of its pages.

"That journal means a lot to you doesn't' it." Gob remarked. Looking up at the woman.

Jenny looked up from her journal and gave him a brief smirk before answering him. "Yeah I like to call it my brain." She frowned for a bit. "It helps me keep my thoughts together. Helps me remember things that I often forget. I've gotten better but I still have some issues." She sighed a bit before walking past Gob and back over to the camp, placing her journal down by her bed role.

"Losing that damn thing would do me more harm then losing any of my weapons. Even my beloved axe." Jenny looked up at Gob and blinked a few times, not sure why she was telling him all of this. The only other person to know about her journal and the secrets it kept was Raul and he was essentially long gone.

Jenny slowly sunk her way back down to the campfire and placed some wood inside of the pit, relighting the wood with her lighter. Taking one final long drag of her cigarette. Jenny tossed the butt inside of the fire and watched it burn away. Gob could see that there was a hint of something that haunted her deep inside that she buried well. Everyone had their secrets. The courier reached inside of one of her pouches and pulled out what looked to be a poker chip. But this wasn't any normal poker chip, it looked to be made out of some fancy metal. Silver or Platinum. As Jenny held the chip in her hand, Gob slowly made his way over to the courier's side. Sitting down next to her and gazing at the chip she was holding.

"I was hunted down for this stupid thing." Jenny broke the silence.

Gob didn't say a word, he just sat and listened to her open up.

"It's worthless now at this point. Maybe melt it down for the metal but it won't do anything. The war is far over and there is no need for the chip. But I just like to hang onto it as a memory. I was tasked to carry this chip to the Lucky 38 hotel in downtown Vegas but I was gunned down in Goodsprings. Took two bullets right to the head. I remember everything going black. I remember feeling like I left my body and then nothing. I died.. I was dead." Jenny frowned, looking down at her chip.

"That's when good old Doc Mitchell patched me up and saved my life. Gave me my pipboy and sent me on my way." She sighed. Looking up at Gob. The Ghoul didn't say a word but she could see him soaking in her story. His eyes full of thought. Moving the chip back into one of her pouches. A large crack from deep inside of the trees caused the woman to shoot up to her feet. Taking in a deep breath, her eyes gazed along the tree line in hopes to catch a glimpse on what caused the noise.

"Gob get behind me." Jenny hissed.

"What is it?" Gob whispered, wasting no time to get behind the woman's frame, holding his arms over his head in fear.

"I can't tell yet but stay low to the ground." Jenny softened her voice, taking a few steps over to her travel pack, she slipped out a silver 9mm pistol and gripped it tight in her hands. Walking back over to her old spot she held the gun down keeping her hands firmly around it and the finger off the trigger.

Another crack in the woods was heard until 4 new mercenaries stepped out in the clearing. All of them holding out rifles pointed at Jenny. The merc leader stepped out from the group and lowered his gun a bit. Jenny wasted no time to raise her pistol up at the leader, a vicious looking frown growing heavy on her face.

"Well it looks like you found our lost feral here. He just recently went missing when the rest of our group got attacked. You wouldn't happen to know who attacked them would you? It couldn't possibly be you?" The merc leader mocked.

"He's not yours, he doesn't belong to anyone." Jenny sternly warned.

"Look courier I payed for him fair and square. He is mine and I don't intend on losing him." The leader took a step closer towards Jenny. Only making her raise her gun a bit more at the man, making her focus squarely on him and not the whole group.

"How many caps then?" Jenny hissed.

"He is mine Courier. Hand him over and I will let you go with your life." The merc laughed.

"Two to the head, yet one gets up." Jenny muttered to herself. "Go ahead shoot me. I will come back. I always come back."

The tension was growing by the second. The courier refused to lower her gun and allow the mercs to just walk off with Gob. Knowing these type of men, the would end up just robbing and killing her as well. The woman was trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this with minimal injuries when suddenly a flash of blue light swung right at one of the mercs, cutting the man's arm right off. The man crumpled down against the ground screaming about his bloody stump and cursing about the Ghoul. Jenny took this small brief moment of complete chaos to holster Maria and push past the mercs and grab her proton axe off of the ground. With a quick swing, she cut off the legs of the Merc leader and ended up mowing down the small group of mercs completely not ready for her sudden attack. Guns were being fired off but everything happened so quickly that Jenny luckily didn't get shot. Once the group was taken down. Jenny was left standing in a bloody pile of body parts, huffing as she tried to get any ounce of her breath back from the quick fight.

Dragging her axe a bit of the ways, she dropped it the moment she saw Gob laying face first in the dirt, grasping at his arm and groaning a bit. Rushing over to his side and gently kneeling down. The woman turned Gob over onto his back expecting him to be riddled with bullet wounds when only he was just shot in the arm. The bullet grazed him pretty good. Blood was seeping out from under his hand. Jenny knew she needed to move quick before the poor Ghoul would pass out in shock. Moving over to the camp, she pulled out some bandage gauze and a stimpak. Jenny moved back over to Gob's side and wrapped his arm up with the bandage and ended up injecting the stimpak in his other arm. This would cause his wound to start the healing process a bit faster and stop bleeding so much.

"How are you feeling Gob." Jenny gazed down at him, frowning a bit out of concern.

"Not… not good." Gob gasped.

"You were brave back there. Throwing my axe like that. You gave me a chance to take them down. So thank you for that." Jenny smiled warmly.

"Does… does this mean I'm a hero." Gob was growing a bit loopy from the stimpak.

"Yeah it does. It certainly does." Jenny laughed a bit knowing the loopiness wouldn't take long to disappear. Just a brief side effect for those who didn't use many stimpaks.

#

Jenny and Gob didn't waste any time to move the camp yet again to get away from the recent massacre at the small lake. Jenny was a bit disappointed as she was hoping to spend a few more days at the lake but she knew better then to hang around. She didn't need anymore trouble now. Gob certainly needed to get far away from all of this.

The Ghoul had already called it a night. He was against the far corner of the makeshift tent sound asleep. The woman sat next to the small fire she made, the flames keeping her small frame warm as the night grew colder with each passing minute. Pulling out a cigarette, the woman lit it up and took a small drag, her dark brown hues focusing in on the sleeping form of the Ghoul. The courier was well known for being a stubborn hard ass. She wouldn't let many people push her around. All of this time spent with Gob reminded her of the time she used to spend with Raul. Part of her grew sad over the thought. Raul had stuck by Jenny's side through the worst of it all. She missed his sarcasm and appreciated his opinions on certain topics but he never questioned her motives. Raul was supportive and kind. After Jenny had taken Benny's life. It wasn't the brutal revenge that got her through those rough times. It was Raul. He had brought a sense of kindness towards her heart that she couldn't forget. Even with her ongoing memory problems. Even after the battle of Hoover Dam. A part of Jenny wanted to return back to the Divide to go find Ulysses once more but the other part told her to just keep traveling with Raul. Head to New Mexico and Arizona. She hadn't spent much time that way anyway. It could be a totally new adventure. But that new adventure only lasted so long. Raul had grown tired and ended up passing away in his sleep.

Perhaps Jenny pushed him too hard, but it was a very fitting end to the old Ghoul. She was proud to spend the few years with the old Ghoul before he had passed on. He never went feral. Stubborn to the end she knew. Maybe taking Gob under her wing was a way for her to thank Raul for everything he had done for her. Jenny didn't know. She would typically save someone, perhaps give them supplies and send them on their way but something just kept bugging the woman to make sure Gob found a safe home. He too was kind. Buried under all of that fear. She knew she could pull that strength out of him at some point. Even if it did take awhile she knew Gob would come around. Today was only the start of his new life.

**Authors Note:**

**I don't want to keep Gob in a constant state of fear. I really couldn't think of a way to jump start his courage then just chucking Jenny's beloved axe. It seemed in character for him to do that. I think Gob is always willing to take a chance. Jenny also has a soft spot for Ghouls if that isn't obvious enough haha. Anyway, Happy Reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 4**

Jenny was standing on the cliff edge, her eyes straining a bit to see how much more they needed to travel along the foothills until they really began hitting the mountains. This was going to be a long journey for Gob. The woman not so much. She was used to some of the long travels the Mojave express made her take. Holding up her arm, the woman double checked her maps before walking away from the edge of the cliff and back down to the camp. To the courier's surprise she wasn't met with a sleeping Ghoul but to one who was very much awake and looking a bit nervous. Gob was sitting outside of the tent, eyes wide and looking around. The moment he heard her walking down from the trail a warm smile spread acrossed his cheeks to Jenny's surprise. Typically Gob wasn't this excited to see her but it was a sign the poor Ghoul was coming around. Tipping her head a bit she returned the smile and took a few steps back over to the camp. Walking over to his side, the woman held out her pipboy showing him her map.

"We have a long journey ahead of us today. You up for it with your arm being injured?" Jenny inquired.

She could see Gob thinking it over. He would get this subtle look in his eyes, a small frown sinking on his brow for a few moments as the thoughts rolled around in his head. Looking back up at Jenny, the ghoul's face twisted for a moment.

"I've had worse done to me. I think I can make it today." Gob's voice grew soft for a moment. His eyes looking down at the ground.

Jenny started gnawing at the inside of her cheek. She was having a hard time gauging what this Ghoul was comfortable doing and what he wasn't comfortable doing. From what she had pieced together, he would just agree to whatever she suggested. Perhaps it was just all of the time he had spent as a slave that made him so agreeable. From that moment the woman felt a bit conflicted. Should she just go ahead and start traveling today when Gob said he was ok to do so, or should she put it off? She didn't know what she could do to really help him. She didn't know how to read him when she would normally have a good idea on who she was dealing with. Perhaps Jenny just wasn't really meant to be a caretaker. Was she just taking all of this too personally? The woman didn't know but she was beginning to grow frustrated with herself for feeling this way. She was normally so sure about everything. Or the moments she wasn't sure Raul was around to guide her. Now she didn't have him.

"Give me a moment." Jenny sighed, stepping away from the camp and walking into the treeline disappearing from Gob's view.

The Ghoul sat there a bit confused as to why the courier ended up storming off for seemingly no reason. One minute she seemed quite ok then the next she looked conflicted. Gob sat in his spot twiddling his thumbs for a moment, his eyes darting around bit as the forest grew quiet once more. The courier seemed to move without any sound. Sighing softly to himself, Gob turned away from where Jenny had disappeared off to. Not exactly knowing what to do, he wasn't sure if he should start packing up the camp yet or what exactly what Jenny had planned to do. One moment ago she was talking about leaving and then she ended up disappearing herself. His arm was pounding from the bullet wound he was left with but the Ghoul was thankful that was all he had received from the past fight. His life was steadily growing better each day and he could feel the strength drip into his life. Gob knew this was going to be a long process but he wasn't wanting to force it to happen. Jenny seemed patient enough with him as far as this went. Thinking that they were probably going to stay at least another night at the camp. Gob slowly pulled himself to his feet and wandered along the tree line picking up small sticks and branches. He figured he would make himself a little bit useful by gathering firewood. It wasn't mixing drinks behind a bar but it was sure better then getting beaten into a pulp. Right as the Ghoul went down to pick up another small branch from the forest floor, he saw Jenny storming by behind him grumbling something under her breath. Straightening himself out, the ghoul watched the courier rummage through one of her travel bags as if she had lost her prized journal. He dare not asked what she was looking for.  
The woman tossed things over her shoulder making a complete mess of the camp when she had found what she was after.

A metal pot.

"Smoothskin?" Gob called out to the woman but she paid no attention to it.

Almost growing alarmed over how quickly the courier tore apart the camp only to pull out a pot and storm back into the forest, Gob pattered over to the camp and placed the extra firewood into a small pile. Not sure what the woman was planning, the ghoul didn't waste any time with putting things back into the women's bags and straightening up the camp once more. If it was one thing his time as a slave taught him it was to keep your surroundings as clean as possible. People tended to be a bit happier when their abode was in an accommodating condition. Sitting back down on the small stump he had claimed for himself, the Ghoul herd Jenny humming to herself. Turning himself, the woman was sucking on her finger as she held the pot out in her other hand. He grew curious.

Jenny waltzed right up to the Ghoul's side and kneeled down, holding out the pot, she pulled her finger out of her mouth and gave Gob a brief smile.

"Do you know what this is?" She inquired.

"I don't believe I do." Gob looked at her a bit puzzled.

"It's honey Gob, have you ever had it?" She smiled, her eyes showing a glint of joy.

"I thought this was something from the old world." Gob frowned a bit.

Before the woman said anything more. Jenny placed the pot down in Gob's lap, a brief chuckle escaping her lips. Standing up from his side, the woman walked over to the freshly cleaned camp. A bit in shock over how quickly it was picked up. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she kneeled back down to one of her travel bags. Pulling out a spoon and some fresh bandages, the woman stood back up and walked back over to Gob's side. Her hand holding out the spoon for him to take.

"What is that for?" Gob frowned.

"Take it and eat it." She smiled.

"Are….are you sure?" Gob looked down at the pot of golden honey. It was obviously fresh and not something that had looked like it was sitting around for 200 years. Most of the old world honey had crystalized and never looked as fresh as this did.

"Just take the spoon." Jenny waved it a little in front of his face, her brow raising.

Gob hesitated in reaching up but gently grasped the spoon and dipped it into the honey, taking a small bite of the rich nectar. His eyes quickly closed as he savored the sweet taste.

"Heaven on earth right?" Jenny smiled seeing the Ghoul cherish it.

"You are right Jenny." Gob opened his eyes watching as the woman knelt back down next to his side, holding the roll of gauze in her hands.

"Hold out your arm I need to change your bandages." Jenny raised a brow.

The Ghoul had stopped for a moment and looked over at Jenny, it was obvious some thoughts were rolling around in his head. That small frown sinking back down on his face.

"I've wondered why you aren't like other smoothskins." Gob blurted.

"Excuse me?" Jenny tipped her head a bit in confusion.

"Oh.. well.. I mean you aren't afraid to touch me." Gob looked back down at the honey a bit embarrassed.

"Gob, my last companion was a Ghoul." Jenny suddenly laughed.

"Were….were they?" Gob stammered.

"Yeah, his name was Raul Tejada. One of the best damn companions any girl could ask for. Well any mindless Courier could ask for." Jenny laughed as she untied Gob's bandage and began unwrapping it from his arm.

"Mindless?" Gob was growing even more confused with this woman.

"I don't have a brain rattling around in my skull Gob." Jenny continued to unwrap the gauze until his wound was exposed, giving it a good once over to make sure it wasn't growing infected.

"Well we know who isn't going feral." Gob joked under his breath.

"I heard that." Jenny chuckled. Picking up the fresh roll of gauze, she began to wrap the Ghoul's arm, careful to not wrap his bandage too tight.

"Tell me smoothskin. Who was this Raul Tejada and why don't you have a brain. And please don't tell me it's another long story." Gob's voice almost came off sounding bored.

Jenny got finished wrapping his arm then took a small step back, her head tipped a bit as she settled into her own spot on the ground. Looking at the pot of honey Gob was hanging onto, the woman gave a sad smile then looked back up at her companion.

"Raul was a heck of a man. I had my brain removed in Big Mountain a long while back. An experiment gone bad I say or I was told." Jenny paused, reaching up to untie her bandana. Her fingers worked the knot and the tan fabric fell from her head, allowing some of her blonde waves to frame her face.

Gob's mouth dropped open as he saw the scars running deep acrossed her forehead. So that was what the bandana was for. To hide what had happened to this poor woman. Even she had a past full of pain and hurt.

"After I got back from Big Mountain, I couldn't remember what happened to me. I suffered bad amnesia from it all. I would get flashes of memories, it came in black outs and in dreams. Things would trigger it. An due to basically running on remote control, I suffer from a lot of brain fog from time to time. I can't exactly think or see straight. I still have a bit of trouble remembering things but. It is what it is. I'm getting better." Jenny sighed. "Raul helped me through the worst of it and hence the journal." Jenny smiled as she looked back up at Gob.

"What do you mean running on remote control?" Gob's face twisted, looking more confused than ever.

"Ok, so basically when the scientists removed my brain back in Big Mountain. They put a shit ton of hardware in my body to be able to operate like normal. I have a receiver in skull that is still linked to my brain back in storage at Big Mountain. So the further I travel from Big Mountain, the harder of a time I have receiving signals to my remote brain. Hence the fog and memory problems." Jenny had hoped this made more sense to the Ghoul.

"Can't you just put your brain back in your head?" The Ghoul still frowned.

"I've looked at having the procedure done, but it would be very dangerous to remove all the hardware from my body. Besides the scientists that did the procedure are all dead. So I'm not sure I would end out alright in the end." The woman looked at the ground, kicking at the small pebbles with her boot.

"I can't blame you Jenny. Even I wouldn't take that chance." Gob set the pot of honey down on the ground next to the woman, hoping she would take some for herself.

The woman didn't initially respond. Pulling some of her blonde hair back over her left ear, she tied the bandana tightly back around her forehead, covering the deep scars once more. A small smile grew acrossed her lips.

"I can't lose this bandana. Raul bought me this one." She chuckled to herself. The memory tucked fondly in the back of her 'mind'. The woman then broke the small silence and gazed back up at her companion.

"So tell me about you. If you care to indulge any of that."

"Well my last friend was known as the Lone Wanderer…" Gob perked up.

"Tell me about this lone Wanderer…" Jenny smiled.

**Authors Note:**

**Sort of a filler chapter. I wanted the chance to have Jenny and Gob bond some more before the moved along with their journey. Thank you for all the love so far. I hope you guys are enjoying it! Happy Reading. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 5**

Finding a shack was possibly the best thing to happen to the pair since Jenny found Gob being dragged around by a group of Mercs. The woman had been wandering around in the brutal weather for endless weeks so it was almost heavenly to spend some time under a real roof for once. Despite never wanting to settle down anywhere. The woman was always thankful for proper shelter. She figured Gob would be as well. The trek through the mountains wasn't as bad as Jenny thought it was going to be. It took awhile but it didn't snow the whole way through. Otherwise they would still be stuck in Colorado and not in Utah at this point. The Courier could feel it in her blood that they were getting closer and closer to the Mojave… her home.

Digging into one of her travel bag, the woman pulled out an assortment of guns. She didn't carry too many but the ones that she did always packed a punch… or had a memory attached to it. Good or bad. Jenny placed the Ranger Sequoia on the table in front of her, followed by the Bright Brotherhood recharger pistol and then Maria.

Maria.

The gun that was used to shoot two bullets into her skull. The very gun that was used by Benny. The very gun Jenny took from that man after she had choked him to death with her old bandana. It was only fitting that the gun used to try and kill her was to only then be carried by that woman. The ammo was a pretty common type so Jenny had no problem using it fairly often. Benny kept it in good condition, it never jammed on her. It was turning out to be one of her most very trusted guns.

Go figure.

Jenny gave a brief thought of lighting up a cigarette in the shack when hearing clinking outside broke her from that that. The sound of rocks being thrown into glass wasn't exactly something she was comfortable hearing. Especially since Gob was outside…. By himself..

Did the Mercs track them down this far?

Jenny sure hope they didn't, they sure would be in a lot of trouble. The woman had all of her guns on her this time.

Setting Maria down on the table. The woman sat up and grabbed a handful of bullets from her bag and settled on taking her Sequoia with her. She didn't want to waste Maria's bullets on a few idiot Mercs. Sighing, she slowly leaned her frame against the raw metal door, the hinges groaning as her weight pushed it open. Peaking an eye outside, her questions were all suddenly answered.

Gob was only throwing pebbles at some Nuka Cola bottles he set up on the broken fence line.

Bless that Ghoul's heart. He was trying.

A small smile split the woman's face. Throwing her weight against the heavy door a bit more, she slipped out of the shack and waltzed over to Gob's side, catching the Ghoul's eye mid throw. As if he was trying to hide what he was attempting. The Ghoul dropped the pebble out of his hand and placed his arms behind his back, looking down at the ground. Jenny was almost surprised he wasn't whistling while he was at it.

"Practicing your aim?" Jenny broke the tension.

"My aim isn't very good." Gob looked up at the Courier, raising a brow.

"Well you sure hacked that Merc's arm off with an axe of all things." Jenny laughed.

"I would rather not remember." Gob grumbled to himself, allowing his arms to drop to his sides.

"How about I teach you how to shoot a gun today." Jenny suggested, holding up the Sequoia in her hand.

"Wait…." Gob paused. His mouth dropping. "You would trust me with a gun?"

"Well you haven't wacked me off in my sleep yet." Jenny chuckled.

"Oh…. oh… Ok.." Gob didn't know what to say. The woman not only allowing him to shoot a gun but also teach him how to properly use one meant a lot to him. This was a lot of trust she was putting into him. Nobody ever trusted him in his life.

Jenny reached out and placed the Sequoia in the Ghoul's hand, followed by the bullets. Stepping over to his side. She looked up at the numerous bottles he had lined up along the fence line. Looking at him she gave him a brief smile.

"Ok so slide out the chamber and place the bullets inside. Once you have the gun loaded up, be sure to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire off that gun. Keep the barrel pointed away from anything you want to shoot. Your foot, your arm, my head. I've been through that once already." Jenny laughed.

Gob just listened. Keeping the barrel pointed down at the ground, he slid out the chamber and slid each bullet into its designated slot. The woman had placed great trust in him to be allowing a nobody to just fire off a gun. Once he had it loaded up, Gob looked over at the woman waiting her next instruction.

Jenny took note of this. This Ghoul was a very attentive listener. Most came off a bit cocky when it came to guns but she could tell Gob was a bit nervous over this.

Better her teaching him then anyone else.

"Ok, now point the barrel up at one of those bottles. Keep a strong stance because that gun has a kick to it. She's mean, but she will take care of you if you respect her. Once you are ready, breath out and steady yourself. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it. Now go." The woman took a step back behind Gob, her brow raising.

Gob kept quiet. Straightening himself, the Ghoul squared his shoulders and raised the gun. Aiming it at one of the old Nuka Cola bottles, Gob closed his left eye and squeezed the trigger. The Sequoia immediately fired off, but the Ghoul was prepared. Keeping a strong hand around the handle of the gun. The bullet ripped right through the bottle, shattering it. He quickly pulled his finger off the trigger and lowered the barrel of the gun down to the ground, a wide surprised smile spreading a crossed his worn cheeks.

"See! You can do it!" Jenny cheered.

"I… I didn't know I could." Gob smiled, looking over his shoulder at the Courier.

Jenny gave him a lopsided smile. Proud of the Ghoul for listening to her and nailing the first shot. Reaching up she patted him on the shoulder and slipped her hands over the Sequoia. Gob let go and took a step back behind the woman's frame. He watched as Jenny raised the revolver up and fire off a few shots at a few of the Nuka Cola bottles, nailing each one. It didn't take her long to run out of bullets. Lowering the revolver, the woman looked over at her shoulder and grinned yet again, a wild look growing in her eye.

"One day you'll get this good. Just keep at it."

"I'll keep practicing smoothskin." Gob nodded.

"Good."

#

Gob had settled himself down on a warm spot on the ground. The evening had settled on the desert land so Jenny had gotten the bright idea of starting a fire for the night. After a long day of travel and target practice the both of them just needed to sit and enjoy the quiet evening. Jenny was sure that they had finally escaped any wrath from any left over Mercenaries that Gob was attached to. He was pretty much a free man now. The Ghoul was sitting next to the fire poking the embers occasionally with a long stick. Looking from the end of his stick up to Jenny, he watched as the flame's glow echoed off of her pale face. Her bandana was missing off of her forehead, allowing her blonde hair to frame her tired face. It was obvious that her thoughts were not currently on planet Earth. She was deep in her own mind so Gob decided to not really bother her. Looking back down at the end of his stick, the Ghoul continued to poke at the firewood, watching as the flames would snap and pop.

Jenny pulled her legs under her frame, adjusting herself to hopefully grow a little more comfortable on the hard ground. After having to sleep outside the past week, she was growing a little tired of it's constant cold against her tired joints. Though the hot flames felt good against her skin. Reaching up the woman covered her mouth as she coughed, breaking the silence between Gob and her. Her eyes felt a bit heavy. She was in the mood for a drink.

"You know what we could use right now." Jenny looked up from the flames. Her eyes meeting with Gob's.

"What's that Jenny." Gob rumbled.

"Alcohol." The woman gave him a small grin.

"If you have any. I'm sure I could mix something up for you." Gob returned her grin. His eyes almost lighting up a bit.

"You can mix drinks?" Jenny's grin turned a bit lopsided.

"My last… job if you call it that was bartending." Gob's face looked a bit pained before it disappeared back under a smile.

"Well I have a bunch of different alcohol and some prickly pear fruit. Think you can surprise me?" Jenny's nose crinkled a little.

"What's prickly pear?"

"It's a fruit off of a type of cactus. Tastes pretty similar to mutfruit." The woman groaned a bit as she stood back up to her feet. Taking a few steps to her bag, she pulled out a few bottles of liquor and some metal cups. Placing them down on the ground next to Gob, she reached back into her bag, pulling out a small wrapped up cloth. Kneeling down next to Gob's side, she carefully unwrapped the cloth exposing the candy apple red fruits.

"I'm addicted to these things. They are also pretty good for you if you wander the desert a lot. Which I do being a Courier after all." Jenny chuckled.

"After working in a bar for nearly fifteen years. I can't say I really have a favorite drink. Dealing with drunks for that long you kind of despise alcohol after a while." Gob sighed a bit as he began mixing two drinks up with the fruits that Jenny gathered. It didn't take the Ghoul long to make something up but he held one of the metal cups up for Jenny.

The woman gently took the cup from his hand and held it up. Her brow raised, a small mischievous smile growing across her cheeks.

"To.. your freedom and for our friendship. May it stay that way until the end of time." Jenny's eyes seemed to glow brighter than the flames that danced around with the shadows in the camp.

"Friendship… huh.. Cheers Jenny." Gob nodded, clinking his cup with the woman's before taking a brief swig of his mixed drink. It had been a very long time since he last had a drop of alcohol for himself.

"Cheers." Jenny whispered. Bringing the cup up to her lips. She took a deep swig of the sweet alcohol. The tang of the fruit mixed well with the alcohol, giving it a sweet bite. Gob certainly wasn't lying about being a bartender. This drink was good.

"Fuck.." Jenny gasped.

"What… What?" Gob looked suddenly alarmed.

"Gob that's damn good." The woman wrinkled her nose. A wide smile spreading acrossed her cheeks.

"Oh.. Ahh..Thanks" Gob stammered a bit before taking another drink from his own cup.

"So are you prewar?" Jenny blurted, swirling the alcohol around in her cup.

"No. I'm not. I did know a few prewar Ghouls back in my time in Underworld. My adopted mother was a prewar Ghoul. But this…. No.. I've always know this world for what it is." Gob sighed.

"My last companion… Raul.. he was prewar. Always complained about how creaky his knees were when we had to go sneaking around or how bad his cataracts were. He used to joke about not really being able to tell me apart from the enemies but I knew he was joking. He was good with that. Knew what to say at the right time to keep things from getting too serious you know." Jenny gave a sad smile as she looked down at her cup.

"I.. I think I'd rather grow up in the wastes instead of.. Just.. knowing what life was like before hand and watching it all flush away. It has to be so hard." The woman frowned.

Feeling that the air was growing too heavy, Jenny looked back up from her cup and swirled it around once again, her eyes gazing at Gob. The corner of her lip smirking a bit.

"You know Jenny. I have to be honest with you." Gob was beginning to open up. "I am thankful for all of this kindness you have shown me. You don't treat me like a Ghoul. You treat me like a man. I have to say I appreciate that. It's nice not having someone screaming and running away over my looks for once." Gob gave a warm smile.

"I think you will feel right at home in the NCR. Ghouls are just as much accepted as humans are. I even know of some places where Super Mutants live in harmony with everyone. So you don't ever have to worry about anything anymore…. Ok?" Jenny reached out and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. Her eyes narrowing a bit to make sure he had understood this. She wanted to reassure Gob that he was going to be safe.

"Thank you. I don't know what would of happened to me if you hadn't of come along." Gob sighed.

"May I ask how you ended up from the East Coast to Colorado though?" Jenny lowered her hand.

"Well as I told you.. I worked for Moriarty for 15… 20 years? I don't really remember how long it was. It was just a long time. Time goes slower when you get beat every night. But the Lone wanderer ended up killing Moriarty one night. It was late. I had told them that I was happy to see a familiar face. A kind face as Moriarty had been very hard on me then. They must of snapped because that man was never seen again. I ended up taking over the bar for awhile. It was successful and I had finally thought I was a free man. Owning my own business. But late one night a large band of Mercenaries over ran Megaton… where I lived.. And took a bunch of slaves. We couldn't fend them off. There was too many of them. I was one of those who got captured and I just don't remember any of it after that until the day you showed up." Gob was gazing over at the woman, reading the pain in her eyes.

"Well I can guarantee that you will never have to worry about that ever again. For as long as I live and for as long as you live in the NCR. You are safe." Jenny reached out and pulled the Ghoul into a brief hug.

Gob was in shock. Nobody had ever hugged him before. Not since he became a Ghoul. But he appreciated the kindness. All of this.. He was thankful.

**Authors Note:  
I am trying not to let this story drag on with just constant bantering between the two. I love having characters rambling on though about their lives. But be prepared, more action will be coming up. Until then, happy reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 6**

Rummaging through her pack had only brought up nothing of value. Gob was in need of some new bandages and the Courier ended up giving up her remaining prickly pear fruit in favor of the alcohol the previous night. She was going to have to go on a salvage run. One of the last things she wanted to do. Sighing deeply, Jenny placed her bag down on the table and ran her hands over her face. Gob wasn't going to be happy about having to be left behind. Dropping her arms back down to her sides, she moved herself out of the shack, leaning against the door and letting it shut behind quietly behind her. Gob looked up from the ground, He was sitting on a small rug he must of found earlier from the shack. Jenny gave a brief a shrug and tipped her head.

"I'm out of supplies. So this means you can either come with me or stay here. But it will probably take a bit. I really don't feel comfortable leaving you here by yourself." The woman sighed.

"No worries Jenny. I'll come along. Could help you carry something, At least us Ghouls are good pack mules." Gob joked.

"That's.. That's… ok.." The woman frowned, a lopsided smile spreading acrossed her cheeks.

Gob felt himself smile a little wider. By this alone it was obvious the woman was pretty sensitive to the struggles a ghoul regularly faced with. Pulling himself up to his feet. Gob walked over to the side of the shack and picked up one of the empty sacks, knowing they were going to need it later. He might as well be useful some how.

Jenny went over and grabbed her proton axe, throwing it over her shoulder and letting it rest. Digging into her pocket, the woman pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Grabbing one of them from the pack, she placed it up to her lips. Placing the pack back in her pocket, she lit her cigarette and took in a long drag, her eyes closing for a second as the smoke billowed out from her nostrils. Opening her eyes, the woman held the cigarette between her lips. Motioning with her hand for Gob to follow her. Raising up her arm, the maps on her pipboy showed that they weren't far from an abandoned gas station. Which could be a good place to find supplies.

#

The air was growing tense. Jenny could feel it. Something wasn't right in this area. She had felt like something was stalking them in the overgrowth of trees. She hated trees. Being born in the desert meant she was used to seeing what was in plain sight. Trees meant enemies could hide behind them. Every hair on the back of her neck was standing right on end. Breathing out slowly, the woman slowly shrugged the axe off of her shoulder, her hands grasping tightly around the handle. Flicking on the on switch with her finger, the protonic blade crackled and fizzled until it solidified into a solid beam of energy. Gob immediately tensed behind her, walking closer to the woman's frame, hiding behind her. Her knew something was wrong as well.

The woman quickened her pace once she saw the Red Rocket gas station. Biting at the insides of her cheeks, she began to trot and then flat out run. Gob following closely. The window shutters were lowered which was a good sign.

That's when the silence was broken, a large tan deathclaw broke out of the cover of the trees and growled deeply, digging its claws deep into the ground, throwing rocks and debris into their direction. The woman could almost feel the awful creature's hot breath as it bound into their direction.

"Gob RUN!" Jenny shouted, grabbing the Ghoul's arm and dragging him in front of her to protect him from the raging creature. The Ghoul took a large leap at the door and threw all of his weight against it, the door slammed open as the woman and Ghoul fell inside of the gas station. The deathclaw mere feet away from the two. Jenny dropped her axe down onto the floor as she scrambled back up to her feet and slammed the door back shut behind her, leaning her frame against the heavy metal door hoping to her wits end that it could hold the deathclaw back until it would lose interest and move on. Gob stood up and leaned himself against the door as well. The deathclaw on the other side started throwing his large head against the metal door. Angry screeches and grows escaping from its deep ravenous throat. The door rattled each time the deathclaw through its weight against it. Jenny closed her eyes, breathing hard honestly for once a bit scared for her life. The Deathclaw continued to scratch and heave its weight against the door, not wanting to give up a potential meal so easily. The woman made a stupid decision. She had brought the Sequoia and Maria with her, but Maria wasn't a powerful enough gun to take down a Deathclaw and the Sequoia didn't have enough bullets to do so. The only weapon that could take it down was her axe, and the last thing the woman wanted to do was to get into a melee combat with a creature that had claws as long as her body.

Turning her back against the door, the woman closed her eyes and leaned all of her weight against the door, feeling it rumble until the Deathclaw heaved at it once more before growling and walking away from the gas station. Onto other things the woman had hoped. Jenny's knees buckled under her. Her frame slowly slid down to the floor, her back still leaning up against the door. Her head tipped to the side as small chuckles escaped from her lips.

"Fuck." She broke the silence.

"Smoothskin that was a little too close for comfort." Gob's voice was tight from his sheer terror.

"Well Gob, I'm glad you ended up coming along." Jenny's eyes opened, her hues darting up to meet his.

"What?" Gob was confused.

"Well… because if I left you back at the shack, that Deathclaw would of probably tracked down my trail and would of found you back there, unprepared. An I doubt that shack would of held up to a hungry deathclaw." Jenny's smile slowly growing on her face.

"That's a good point." Gob took a step away from the door, stroking his chin deep in thought.

Jenny ran her hands up to her face, and whipped the sweat away from her eyes, before dropping her hands down into her lap. Slowly pulling herself up to her feet, she turned toward Gob. He was standing along the far corner of the gas station, his eyes wandering over the shelves full of food.

"You hungry?" Jenny leaned against the counter, her brown eyes deep.

"I always want to eat something after a good scare." Gob blerted. "I'd always steal some of the food from the bar after a scare. Maybe it was my way of rebelling." Gob turned to face Jenny, a package of Fancy Lad snack cakes cradled in his hands.

"Well.." Jenny outstretched her arms. "You are welcome to a feast. I think after that you deserve it." The woman smiled, dropping her hands down to her sides. Walking by the Ghoul, the woman looked over the shelves to see if she could find some bandages for Gob while he dug into the snack cakes. She was sure she heard some small moans of happiness escaping from his mouth as he dug into his food.

It was good to see him relaxed around her. Even after narrowly escaping death.

That's when it had all hit Gob, right when he was mid bite eating his snack cakes. Here was this woman, not only rescued him from the Mercs that kidnapped him all the way from his own bar back in Megaton. She had promised to find him a new home, killed the rest of the Mercs that tracked them down. She insisted he went with her, and ended up protecting him from a large and dangerous deathclaw with no injury. She could of just left him in that desert, or sold him off to the Mercs. The Courier could of just tossed Gob to the deathclaw to save her own life. But she did all she could to protect him and made sure he felt comfortable on top of it. She didn't ask for anything in return. Besides the occasional request to help pack up camp or make the occasional alcoholic drink during down time. She didn't ask for caps, she didn't pry for his past. The strange Courier didn't even ask for friendship. It just happened. All of this just happened. Everyone in his life demanded something from him. Back home in Underworld, they demanded he stayed home. They demanded he should not venture out into the wastes. Then he got captured by slavers and many unmentionables were demanded. Things he would much rather block out from his mind. Then last of all Moriarty demanded everything of Gob. He became a husk of whatever was left of himself. Yet here Jenny was. Never demanding, never pushing. Just caring. Tears began to spill from his eyes. His left hand gripped around the rest of the snack cakes. His right hand brushing away the tears running down his face.

Jenny immediately peeked up from the shelves and trotted over to the Ghouls side, pulling him into a tight hug, Not asking as to why he was crying.

"I know you're overwhelmed with all of this Gob. I'll find you a home soon. Then you won't ever have to worry again." Jenny promised, hugging him tighter. Noting that Gob wasn't tense.

The ghoul pulled away from the woman, running his hand quickly over his eyes. Nodding a bit. And offering her a brief smile.

"I've never known for anyone to be so kind." Gob whispered.

"It's just basic decency Gob. You will find a lot more of that out in the NCR." Reaching up, Jenny placed both of her hands on his shoulders and gripped a bit. Her eyes gazing deep into his. Her brow raised a bit. "You will be safe. You will find friends, and you will never have to worry anymore." Jenny's voice grew a bit more tight, emphasizing the seriousness of it all.

Gob gave her a brief nod as the woman dropped her arms from his side giving him a warm smile.

The silence was broken by the door to the gas station being splintered open, large clawed hands scratching at the sides of the door frame, a deep growl escaping from the foul beasts throat. Jenny immediately dropped down to her knees, pulling Gob down to the floor with her. Holding her finger up to her lips to signal for Gob to remain quiet. Her eyes grew wide, looking from the door frame back over to Gob. She needed to get her axe. Reaching over to her holster. Jenny pulled her Sequoia out and placed it into Gob's trembling hands. She wrapped her hands around his own and gazed him deep into his eyes.

"Use this if you need it. Remember what I taught you. Breath… and squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it. This girl doesn't having her hair pulled." Jenny gave him a wink before dropping her hands from his own.

Gob frowned for a second at her remark but only shook it off. Jenny was full of perverted sarcasm. Shaking his head a bit, he stayed low to the ground, keeping a tight hold on the gun she gave him. He wanted to be a help. He just didn't know how he could help kill a deathclaw of all things. His heart was hammering so hard in his chest he couldn't think he would be a good shot. His arms felt like noodles.

Jenny ran over towards the doorway and slid down onto her side, keeping low to the ground and hopefully far enough away from being clawed alive from the Deathclaw desperate trying to get inside the gas station. The creatures long claws scraped at the metal frame, leaning its large head and snapping at the woman's frame as she grasped at her axe, her fingers barely brushing at the handle of her axe. Cursing at herself for dumping her axe so close to the door, the woman nudged her small frame even closer towards the angry Deathclaw. Her fingers finally growing tight around the handle.

Her fatal mistake.

The deathclaw managed to wedge itself far enough into the doorframe where its head was inside of the gas station, but the monsters back ridges and spikes kept it wedged partially in the building, unable to backup. Jenny was beginning to scramble away from the creature's reach when it's face came burling down on top of her ankle, sharp teeth gripping around her ankle as it began to bite down at her, causing the woman to scream out in sheer pain. Feeling her head begin to cloud from it all. She gritted her teeth, hoping to keep consciousness. This was life or death. The deathclaw wouldn't let go of her leg, the hideous creature tried standing up, Jenny hanging a bit from its mouth. Screaming out the woman swung herself around as much as she could.

The axe plunged deep into the side of the creature's snout over and over again. Yet the Deathclaw refused to let go of the woman. Each time Jenny took a swing at the Deathclaw it would fling her around across the door frame, hitting the wall, then the floor. It's teeth sunk deeper into her ankle.

The Courier plunged her axe into the creatures head.

Over.

And.

Over.

The Deathclaw still bit into her ankle tightly, not able to get any of its arms in to get a grip around her. She was this lucky so far. She began to hope to whatever gods were out there that Gob could at least remain safe if something happened to her. This was her only concern at this point.

Suddenly a few gunshots rang out from behind her. The bullets plunged deep into the Deathclaws head, the crack of its skull heard as the bullets ripped into its brains. After several shots, the monster crumpled down to the ground. It's tight maw loosening around Jenny's ankle as they both came crashing down onto the ground. The heavy head weighing down her leg. The woman lay down on the ground, looking up at the ceiling, thanking those gods for saving her life and for keeping Gob safe.

Her hand dropped her axe as she fought to keep from passing out. Her ankle was probably destroyed at this point.

The woman could hear footsteps running over to her side. Gob kneeled down to her side and touched the woman's cheek. Her eyes fluttered open as her eyes met his, a warm smile spreading acrossed her face.

"You.. saved my life Gob" Her voice nearly a whisper.

"I was pretty sure you were going to be Deathclaw grool, Jenny." Gob's voice was strained.

"A bullet to the brain can't stop me." She laughed.

"You don't have a brain, smoothskin." Gob teased.

Jenny leaned up a little, giving the ghoul a playful punch to the arm. Her eyes then turned to see the head of the deathclaw laying ontop of her leg. They then met with Gob's gaze, a half smirk turning her lips.

"You.. you think you can get this thing off of me?" Jenny sighed.

"I think so." Gob stood up and moved himself over to the deathclaw, grabbing the beast by the horns and lifting the creature's head as high as he could as Jenny slipped herself out from under the creature's dead weight. Small whimpers of pain slipping from her lips. The woman began to pull herself up to her feet when she felt Gob slip his arm under hers, helping carry her along until they made it along the back wall of the gas station. Setting her down gently the Ghoul kneeled down by her side and looked over her ankle, not touching it but assessing it.

"I've got a bad leg, Gob. Your going to have to put me down." Jenny joked.

"What?" Gob blurted.

"It's.. it's a dump rancher joke. Don't worry about it." Jenny laughed

The Ghoul stood up and walked over to the wall where the woman and placed her supply bagdown. Reaching in he pulled out a stimpak and the left over gauze she had left. Stepping back over to the Courier's side. His fingers worked her pant leg up a bit to expose the bite wound.

It was pretty bad.

Jenny leaned herself back up from the wall and reached out to Gob. The ghoul placed the stimpak in her hands. Not wasting a second, the woman inserted the stimpak's needle right into her arm, allowing the medicine to flow right into her vein. This would help stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. Leaning back against the wall, Jenny gazed up at the ceiling as she felt Gob wrapping the gauze around her ankle.

"I don't think it's broken." Gob broke the brief silence.

"It doesn't feel broken." Jenny sighed a bit. She really didn't need to go around being bit either though. Deathclaws carried some really nasty diseases that she really didn't need. The woman would be sure to visit a doctor as soon as she could to make sure she didn't pick anything up.

Gob set her ankle down to the floor then moved over to the woman's side, sitting next to her. His muscles aching. He was exhausted.

Jenny relaxed a bit and allowed herself to rest her head on the Ghoul's shoulder. He didn't move away from her, feeling the woman's body growing limp next to him.

They sat in silence.

"Did you ever have anyone special in your life? A girl? A ghoul.. A supermutant? Hell I don't discriminate." Jenny broke that silence.

"Not really." Gob sighed, adjusting himself a bit in hope to grow a bit more comfortable. "Well there was this girl back at Moriarty's. Her name was Nova. I had a bit of a crush on her but it never went anywhere. She wasn't into Ghoul's." Gob looked down at Jenny, careful to not disturb her to much. "How about you?"

"Two men in my life ever really made an impact. I.. had a Ghoul partner when I was still working my families ranch. See back in the NCR they didn't really give much of a shit who you were with. Not like how I've heard it was on the East Coast." Jenny sighed. "My yearning to wander started right after I turned 19 though. I left him behind. He was good to me. But I didn't want to have a man back home waiting for me as I traveled the wasteland delivering mail." She looked up at him. "Then there was Ulysses. He was obsessed with me. He was also another Courier. We worked for the same company but he did more freelance work. I at the time strictly worked for the Mojave Express….. Well a town sprung up along one of my trade routes.. And over the years it began to flourish. Until one day I delivered a package. Which lead to this town being destroyed. All those lives lost because of me…" Jenny straightened herself up. Sadness developing deep into her eyes. "Those missiles came to life from deep under the ground and cracked the earth. All those people dead. So naturally after I had my brain removed I forgot all about that until I met Ulysses. He wanted to teach me a serious life lesson about what happened. That.. that you have a choice in everything. Even if it's beyond your control." She leaned her head back down on his shoulder. "I fell in love with that man. His message, what he believed in. It taught me a lot. But we could just never be. So I left it all behind. So it's just me and the wasteland. Till the day I die." Jenny smiled, staring down at the floor.

"I have one request from you after I find a home." Gob's voice grew quiet.

"What's that?" Jenny looked up.

"That you come and visit me from time to time and tell me more stories." He smiled at her,

"That is a promise I can keep." The odd Courier smiled wide. Her eyes warm.

**Authors Note:**

**What a chapter right!? I love these two. Both are amazing in their own right. Thank you everyone for the love! It means so much to me. I hope your enjoying the story this far! Happy reading. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Guidance of the Lost**

**Chapter 7**

Jenny was sitting on a stool, her legs waving back and forth in front of her. She looked down at the bottle of purified water in front of her, her fingers wrapped around the bottle loosely as Gob continued to clear the shelves, placing items and food into one of the bags. He was a hard worker and didn't ask for much Jenny noted. She had traveled with a few companions who were incredibly needy. So she just preferred to send most people on there way, choosing to not become involved. Yet this woman had gotten herself pretty involved with this poor Ghoul. She could see the confidence beginning to grow inside his heart. The fact that he saved her life and shot down a deathclaw was proof enough of that. The real test would be if he had to face down Raiders or a group of Mercs. A monster was one thing, humans were another. Running her finger around the lid in small tight circles, the Courier looked up from the bottle and swiveled herself around on the stool.

"I think I figured out where you are going to call home. Well if you are comfortable there." Jenny tapped her fingers on her thighs in thought as her eyes settled on Gob.

"Where's that?" Gob looked up, his gaze meeting with hers.

"It's not a huge settlement but they are pretty… multicultural.. Is possibly the word I'm looking for. They have a big enough militia to fight off a nice merc group or Raider gang. A lot of farmland to work or bars if that is still your preferred job. Plenty of homes. You'd fit right in. They are pretty open minded and accepting there so I don't think you'd run into any idiots." Jenny smiled. "An its along one of my popular travel routes. So I'd come visit often if you'd like." Jenny tipped her head.

"That sounds great!" Gob returned her smile.

"I don't have very many friends Gob, but with the ones I do have. I like to make sure they are doing alright." The woman unscrewed the cap of her bottle of water and took a small drink. The water wetting her dried lips. "I still visit Raul."

"I thought… he died.." Gob grew confused.

"Where I buried him. His final home." Jenny tipped her head, taking another small drink of her water.

"Oh.." Gob looked back down at the shelves, feeling a bit stupid.

"Can you hand me a roll of gauze. I need to take care of that arm of yours." Jenny broke the growing silence.

"I'm fine smoothskin." Gob whined.

"Come on... " Jenny giggled.

Grumbling to himself, Gob walked over to the opposite shelf and grabbed a roll of gauze. Taking sluggish steps over to where the woman was sitting. Jenny gave him a snarky smile and pried the gauze from his hands. Placing it down on her lap, her fingers worked on rolling up Gob's sleeve. He always grew a bit tense whenever she went to start exposing new parts of his body. Despite it only being the upper part of his arm.

"Gob relax. I've seen it all. Those on the East Coast would call me a Ghoul fucker." She snarked. Keeping her giggling to a minimum. This didn't do anything to ease Gob's tenseness. Sighing to herself. Jenny began to unwrap his old bandaging, wasting no time to inspect the wound on his arm. It was healing nicely, the stimpaks were helping it move along quickly. Wish she could say the same about her ankle.

"What do you think? You still have a bit of a gouge there but it's almost done healing." Jenny looked up at Gob, her brows raising.

"I think it will be fine smoothskin.." Gob pulled away, pulling down the sleeve of his shirt and moving away from the woman to go back to working on filling the travel bag with supplies.

A slow frown sank down on Jenny's face. Gob wasn't really defensive around Jenny. He had been pretty much open with her since he started growing more comfortable around her. Biting at her cheek she looked down at her bottle of water before looking back up at Gob. Her eyes growing a bit sad.

"You don't need to be ashamed Gob." Jenny frowned.

"Just because those of you on the West Coast don't find us repulsive doesn't change the fact that I feel the way I do about myself, Jenny. I mean look at me. I used to be human and now I'm… I'm just a shuffling corpse." Gob was growing angry. The constant badgering from Moriarty about his looks had been engrained deep into his psyche.

"I won't push the issue Gob. It was insensitive of me and I'm sorry." Jenny snipped. Sliding herself off of the stool and hobbling her way to the opposite side of the gas station. The woman picked up her axe and turned the protonic beam off. Placing it back over her shoulder, she looked down at the rotting corpse of the Deathclaw. It smelled horrendously but she was thankful to be alive. Hobbling her way out of the gas station, the woman leaned against the side of the gas station. Pulling out a cigarette from her pocket, she lit it up and took a drag, clearing her throat a bit as she blew out the smoke. The courier was frustrated. She didn't know how to help Gob sometimes. Maybe this was a battle she couldn't help him fight.

Maybe he just needed a good fucking.

No…. that was an insensitive thought.

Jenny shook her head and took in another drag of her cigarette. Her Ghoul lover from earlier in her life never had this issue. Granted he joked about it from time to time he was almost happy to be a Ghoul. Always bragging about the fact that he was going to live forever and how he was immune to being hungover from alcohol.. Casey was charismatic and had a wicked tongue. Oh how she missed that tongue. Snapping herself from those thoughts, Jenny took a drag of her cigarette and held the smoke in her lungs, feeling it burn until she let out a heavy breath.

That's when she didn't feel alone. Gob had stepped out from the torn up entrance of the gas station, his cloudy eyes landing on her frame. She could see him out of her peripheral but didn't turn to look at him. Instead she kept looking ahead not quite sure what to say to him.

"I'm sorry for snapping back there." Gob walked over to her side, leaning against the wall as well.

Jenny turned her head, the cigarette hanging from her lips. Her eyes not doing a very good job as far as hiding how tired she really was.

"I'm not very good at helping Gob. I'm not good at understanding others struggles. I'm not a Ghoul or a slave. So I can't understand or empathize. I'm trying my best." Jenny sighed. Her brows raising up.

"Jenn…"

"No" Jenny interrupted. "I shouldnt of pushed that issue and I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Jenny frowned a bit. Straightening herself up she took another drag of her cigarette before dropping it down to the ground and stomping the butt out. Brushing past Gob, the woman hobbled her way back inside the gas station, her ankle burning. Taking a step towards her travel bag, she pulled out her journal and took it with her as she hobbled her way towards the back room of the gas station. Moving herself to the far wall, she slid her frame down it and sat down on the floor, her back leaning against the wall. Flipping open her journal, she paged over some of her entries, re reading some of her past experiences. Jenny was never really left to just "figure shit out" She was always pretty much told what to do. The Mojave told her to pick up this package and deliver it there. With the whole war between the NCR and the Legion sprung up. It was natural for the woman to side with the NCR. She believed she had a good heart, so she just followed what was natural for her to do. She lived in the NCR after all. Why not help them take over New Vegas. Take over the Mojave and drive out those who enslaved everyone. Slavery was one of Jenny's biggest pet peeves. She hated it. Yet the NCR ordered her to do this and that and she just followed. After the war, she decided to follow Raul around for awhile. He knew where he wanted to go and settle so she just let him take the lead. Jenny was familiar with their dynamic. He took damn good care of her so she wasn't lost at all traveling with him. Yet after he passed on and she was left by herself. The woman just did what she did best and wander the wastes. She didn't have to figure her life out or anyone's problems out if she just continued to wander. Picking off remaining Legionnaires was only for fun and to make a little extra caps she would occasionally work for the Mojave express. Maybe this was the whole reason Jennifer the famed Courier of the Mojave refused to settle down. She was just afraid to figure shit out. Plus she hated sitting down in one space for too long. She had this constant itch she needed scratching and the only way to get rid of it was to just keep walking that road, by herself.

'_Alone… always alone..'_

Reading that sentence repeated over and over in the older pages of her journal had always brought up a chill in the center of Jenny's spine. She was always alone.

She chose this for herself.

Her choice.

Something Ulysses had always told her.

Slamming her journal closed, Jenny gritted her teeth and stood right up to her feet, her ankle screaming in pain. With frustration, she tossed her journal against the far wall in the room screaming in sheer frustration. She didn't know what to do..

She didn't know how to help. For once she was truly lost.

Jenny was used to things just falling into place and them fixing themselves. Now she was truly faced with someone who honestly needed her help and here she was clueless with frustration because she finally lost control. She was angry with herself for being so damn lazy. For always running away from everything when she thought it was either a lost cause or she believed it was done. Did the NCR still need help? Absolutely. Yet the Courier ran. She ran from everything she knew to go wander the wastes more. An now she was running away from a Ghoul who truly needed her help.

He didn't just need to find a safe home… he needed a friend.

Hearing the woman screaming in the other room. Gob dropped the items in his hand and ran over to the room Jenny was occupying. Poking his head in, he quickly noticed that the woman was sitting on the floor, her hands over her face. Her head slowly and rhythmically bumping against the wall. Slowly and silently entering the room, Gob reached up and knocked on the door frame to alert the woman that he was in there. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her and have something thrown at him. He didn't care to relive his days back at Moriarty's.

Jenny looked up, her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Hey." Gob offered.

"Hi." Jenny whispered.

Not many people had seen Jenny this emotionally vulnerable. She didn't cry very often. The only other person to see her emotional was Raul right after she killed Benny.

"May I?" Gob motioned to sit next to her.

Jenny didn't say anything but nod a bit.

The Ghoul made his way over to her side and kneeled down next to her, his face showing concern.

"Legend has it. The Courier doesn't cry." Jenny chuckled between her sobs.

Gob didn't say anything but just let the woman speak what was on her mind. He got really good to listening to people with all of his time spent as a bartender.

"I'm frustrated Gob. Not over you, or this, or being bit by a Deathclaw. I'm frustrated because I am at a loss for once. I don't know how to help you." She began sobbing a little harder. "I'm just used to things coming together and…. Poof… it's all good." She laughed a bit. Reaching up and brushing her tears away from her eyes, the woman took in a deep breath to still herself.

"I'm not asking you to fix me Jenny. I just need you to be my friend." Gob reached out and gently pulled the woman into a hug. Jenny was almost surprised by this. Turning herself, she wrapped her arms around him and returned the hug. Thankful for his understanding.

"Thanks Gob." The woman's voice grew warm.

**Authors Note:**

**Yay angsty filler chapter. I always love writing a bit of angst. Jenny typically doesn't lose her cool very often but I felt like this would of been a good reason. She's used to having people around her who can pretty much handle their own problems with very little help. I also kinda wanted to touch on the whole "go here do that" thing the Fallout games have you typically do. Plot will be moving along soon! Thank you for all of the love. Happy Reading.**


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